300cc BMW-TVS naked bike spied

It isn’t news that TVS and BMW are working together to develop sub-500cc motorcycles for European and Asian markets. What’s news is that the first motorcycle to be developed jointly by the two manufacturers will be a 300cc, single-cylinder naked streetbike. Test mules are out on the road in Germany currently, and we expect the motorcycle to be break cover sometime next year. Here are spy shots of the bike being tested in Germany, courtesy visordown.com. The mule has been spotted testing along with KTM’s Duke 390, which is the current benchmark as far as sub-500cc streetbikes go. The TVS-BMW bike is expected to take on the likes of the Kawasaki Z250/300 and Honda CB300F apart from the 390, and pictures reveal it will use a water-cooled four-stroke single-cylinder unit, just like the KTM.

There’s no word on technical details as yet, but we expect a six-speed transmission and around 35bhp. BMW Motorrad has typically been known for its high capacity machines, while TVS is yet to break into the quarter-litre segment. Given this, a 300cc naked makes perfect sense for both manufacturers. What’s evident from the pics is that the test mule is using rear view mirrors and turn indicator similar to the TVS RTR, and even the end-can isn’t too different. Overall, it bears some resemblance to TVS Motors’ Draken concept showcased at the Auto Expo in Delhi last year. It is difficult to comment at this point whether the bike will be more TVS or BMW, but given the German bike maker’s repute for high quality products that last lifetimes, we can expect this 300cc naked to boast great quality and refinement.

As seen in the images, the bike is running Michelin tyres at both ends, apart from its single projector headlight, upside-down forks, monoshock and a single disc at the front and rear.

Visordown had also revealed recently through shipping documents that the naked bike has been codenamed K03 (hence the 300cc engine inference). We know that the TVS-BMW partnership is in full swing and we can expect the same bike with a TVS badge (think Nissan-Renault), sold for slightly cheaper, and without the levels of electronic gadgetry that the BMW Motorrad version will possess. The partnership will be beneficial for both, as BMW contributes to the tech and engineering, while the bike itself will be made in India by TVS, lowering manufacturing costs.

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TVS Draken concept[/caption]

There is also sound speculation that suggests the K03 platform will be used by BMW Motorrad to make a small-capacity adventure tourer, and possibly a faired sports bike.